PEACE in Yemen: the beginning of the beginning or the beginning of the end!

Islamists seize third Yemeni town, residents say

Wednesday, 17 August 2011

By MOHAMMED MUKHASHAF | ADEN REUTERS

Islamist militants have taken control of the southern Yemeni coastal town of Shaqra, the third town to fall into their hands, tribal sources and residents said on Wednesday.

President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s government has lost control of some areas in the south after months of political turmoil and mass protests demanding an end to his three-decade-old rule.Islamist militants, some possibly from al Qaeda, may be exploiting a security vacuum as President Saleh and his allies fight to stay in power – or they may be pawns in that struggle.

They have already seized the town of Jaar in Abyan province in March and Zinjibar, the provincial capital, in May.

The tribal sources said government forces had let the militants seize Shaqra with little resistance. The militants, who the government says have ties to al Qaeda, entered the town in seven cars from another town already under their control.

AlArabiya |  read full report

Testimonies on Palestinians offenses.

Uploaded by TheRealNews on Aug 16, 2011 - HaYarkon70News presents testimonies on Palestinians offenses - given by soldiers

Aid Agencies Face Conflict, Shortages in Mogadishu.

Uploaded by VOAvideo on Aug 16, 2011 - More than 300,000 Somalis are seeking refuge from drought and famine in the capital Mogadishu. But, because of security problems, many aid agencies have been unable to get help to these vulnerable people. VOA's Gabe Joselow reports from Mogadishu.

Divisions threaten Libyan rebels. (due to death of Abdel Fattah Younes)

14 Aug 2011 -For all their advances on the battlefield, concerns remain about the Libyan rebels' unity.

The death of Abdel Fattah Younes, the former commander of their armed forces, and his close aides has exposed deep divides among rebel leaders. An investigation into the murders has so far not found any suspects.
The families of the dead men say that they believe the opposition's National Transitional Council (NTC) has a hidden agenda. Al Jazeera's Tony Birtley reports from Benghazi, eastern Libya.

America to leave Iraq year end: 2011

13 August 2011 - What legacy will they leave in Iraq? Tony Benn (circa Eid 2006) John Bolton (July 2007) ALSadr (August 2011)

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U.S. Troops Fire on Afghan Police, Survivors Say

  KANDAHAR, Afghanistan — NATO and Afghan forces are investigating a claim by the Afghan police that American soldiers fired on them for no reason, killing four officers and wounding two others, and inflaming tensions in southern Afghanistan’s Arghandab Valley, where security gains brought by the surge of American troops remain brittle.

(Pic) Muhammad Naim, left, and Abdullah, who goes by one name, were wounded. The officers gave nearly identical accounts.

While there have been dozens of cases of Afghan soldiers firing on members of the NATO-led military coalition, reports of NATO soldiers firing on their Afghan counterparts are rare. American and NATO officials have yet to release details of the shooting, which took place on Tuesday evening at a police checkpoint outside Combat Outpost Tynes, a small base in the volatile Arghandab district of Kandahar Province. 

By Thursday, word of the shooting was stirring anger in the area, where some residents had vowed to stop helping the Americans if the soldiers responsible were not brought to justice. 

In bedside interviews at a military hospital in Kandahar on Thursday, the two wounded officers gave nearly identical accounts of the shooting. The officers, one the police commander, were interviewed separately.

NYT | Aug 11, 2011 - read full report 

No Ramadhan for Uighur Muslims.

Urumqi, Aug 06 (OnIslam.net) – Amid fresh arrests, restrictions on fasting and prayers at mosques, Uighur Muslims are suffering under the latest episode of Chinese government crackdown on their ethnic minority in the northwestern region of Xinjiang.

“If any religious figure discusses Ramadhan during the course of religious activities, or encourages people to take part, then they will lose their license to practice,” Dilxat Raxit, spokesman for the Munich-based World Uighur Congress, told Eurasia Review on Friday, August 5.

“The more serious cases will result in arrests for incitement to engage in illegal religious activity,” he said.

A day before the start of the holy fasting month for China's Muslims, at least 11 people were killed in a series of attacks in the north-western region of Xinjiang.

Chinese authorities blamed the attacks to the ethnic minority, after which the Chinese police shot dead two Muslims last Sunday.

The attacks came less than two weeks after 18 people were killed in an attack in the restive Xinjiang region.

Following the unrest, more than 100 uighurs were detained by Chinese authorities.

Most of those detained as suspects were committed Muslims who attended mosque and whose wives wore veils, residents say.

IRIB | Aug 6 , 2011 - read full report 

WESTERN governments plans for post-Gaddafi Libya

Libyan rebels come under fire at the strategic town of Bir Ghanam, 80km southwest of Tripoli, during fighting with government forces.Source: AFP

WESTERN governments have helped prepare a blueprint for a post-Gaddafi Libya that would retain much of the regime's security infrastructure to avoid an Iraq-style collapse into anarchy.

The 70-page plan, obtained by London's The Times, charts the first months after the fall of the Gaddafi regime. The document was drawn up by the National Transition Council in Benghazi with Western help.

Officials say the blueprint draws on lessons from the disastrous regime change in Iraq in 2003 and the rebel takeover in eastern Libya in March.

The Aussie - Aug 9, 2011 | read full report.

Strategic Effects of the U.S. Helicopter Downing in Afghanistan

Uploaded by STRATFORvideo on Aug 9, 2011 - Analyst Kamran Bokhari examines the potential fallout from the Taliban's downing of a U.S. Chinook helicopter.

Chopper Comeback: Legendary Soviet Mi-17 on Afghan frontline.

Uploaded by RussiaToday on Aug 7, 2011 - A legendary Russian military helicopter which has been in service for decades is coming back to the frontline in Afghanistan. The US has bought over a dozen of Mil Mi-17s from Russia for the Afghan security forces.

Perception: The Scorpene Commissions Scandal.

French Lawyer to Probe Submarine Deal.

Uploaded by Klik4Malaysia on Apr 28, 2010 - The issue of submarine purchases from France by the Malaysian Government has opened up many curious eyes and controversial reactions, what with the many skirting around and unanswered questions which was brought in the Parliament.

The issue not only revolved on the exorbitant sum of money spent on the basis of commission but misuse of public funds.

For full cover, please visit www.klik4malaysia.com

Report says Israel tried to kill Nasrallah.

infolivetvenglish on 5 Aug 2011 - A bombing in a Beirut suburb last Friday was an Israeli attempt to assassinate Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah the Kuwaiti daily al-Jareeda reported.

Unnamed sources told the daily Israel received information of plans by Nasrallah to meet with senior officials in the southern Beirut suburb, including Lebanese terrorist Samir Kuntar who was freed by Israel in a Hezbollah prisoner swap.

A number of Hezbollah members are believed to have been injured in the blast but there is no confirmation concerning whether Nasrallah was also injured, the Kuwaiti daily said.

One of those believed to have been injured is Mustafa Badr al-Din a senior Hezbollah official wanted by the Special Tribunal in Lebanon investigating the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

Many rumors circulated in Beirut after the blast which Hezbollah maintained was caused by a gas leak and secured the site barring police or military officials from approaching.

Turkish PM Erdogan names new generals.

4 Aug 2011 by Euronews - Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan appointed four new senior generals on Thursday in a move seen as consolidating his control over the military.

FBI Asked Agents to Read Anti-Islam Books (CAIR)

CAIRtv on Aug 2, 2011 - Through the Freedom of Information Act, The American Civil Liberties Union has obtained teaching materials used by the FBI to instruct new recruits about Islam. Included in a 62 page slideshow is the FBI's recommended reading list which introduces the" Complete Idiot's Guide to Understanding Islam," "The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam." The author, Robert Spencer, runs the jihadwatch.com blog.

Robert Spencer and Pamela Geller are co-founders of the Stop the Islamization of America campaign which was cited 64 times in the manifesto of Anders Behring Breivik, (Anders Berring Breiveek) who carried out the recent massacre in Norway. Breivik's writings present him as a right-wing nationalist fueled by a combined hatred of Muslims, Marxists and multiculturalists. The Oslo perpetrator, in his manifesto quoted extensively from the writings of European and American bloggers - including Spencer and Geller.

The FBI says Spencer's book is no longer being recommended to new recruits, But CAIR wonders what impact that will really have, considering the group says, Robert Spencer is still a trainer at the FBI.

The FBI says it is now encouraging agents to seek out a variety of viewpoints and that the learning material obtained by the ACLU was a rudimentary version used for a limited time. Wired reports the information was being made available to agents as recently as January 2009.

Norwegian massacre gunman was a right-wing extremist who hated Muslims

 - who hated Muslims:

• Suspect named by Norwegian media as Anders Behring Breivik
• Police believe he is not connected to Islamist organisations
• 'Loner' lived with mother in a wealthy suburb and is well-educated
• Posted on Twitter: 'One person with a belief is equal to the force of 100,000 who have only interests'
• Farm business gave him easy access to fertiliser - an ingredient used in bomb-making

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Last updated at 12:39 PM on 23rd July 2011

Suspect: Norwegian media reported that Anders Behring Breivik has been arrested

The massacre in Norway was the work of a man with extreme right wing views who hated Muslims, police said this morning. 

Officers found a series of raving internet posts by 32-year-old Anders Behring Breivik, who was been charged with two accounts of terrorism after gunning down children on the island of Utoya and detonating a bomb in Oslo yesterday. 

Media reports in Norway described Breivik as a 'loner', who lived with his mother in a wealthy suburb of west Oslo, was well-educated and enjoyed hunting.

Only a few days ago he set up a Twitter account and posted a single message: 'One person with a belief is equal to the force of 100,000 who have only interests'.

It is attributed to the English philosopher John Stuart Mill, whose concept of liberty justified the freedom of the individual in opposition to unlimited state control.

The account appears to have only been set up a few days ago. 

On his Facebook profile, Breivik describes himself as a Christian and a conservative. 

It also listed interests such as body-building and freemasonry.

Breivik is believed to have grown up in Oslo, and studied at the Oslo School of Management.

He later appears to have moved out of the city and established Breivik Geofarm, a company believed to be an organic farm.

Read more: 

Iran Opens Oil Bourse

- Harbinger of Trouble for New York and London?

The last three years of global recession have dealt a major blow to American capitalist ideas trumpeted throughout the world on the value of “free markets.” Wall St has been revealed as a form of casino economy, with the bankster insiders gambling with other people’s, and eventually, the government’s money in the form of bailouts. As the Republicans in Congress, scenting victory in the 2012 presidential elections, hold a gun to the Obama administration’s head and rating agencies consider downgrading U.S. government bonds in light of Washington’s possible defaulting, many ideas around the world that previously seemed implausible because of the dominance of the U.S. economy are garnering renewed interest.

Not surprisingly, many of these concepts originate in countries not enamored with Washington’s influence, perhaps none so more than “Axis of Evil” charter member Iran, which has seen its economy hammered by more than three decades of U.S.-led sanctions. Now Iran is working a program, that, if it succeeds, could help undermine the dollar’s preeminence as the world’s reserve currency more effectively than a Republican filibuster. 

Iran’s sly weapon against the Great Satan’s currency? An oil bourse on Kish Island in the Persian Gulf, which has now begun selling high-grade Iranian crude oil.

 Mohsen Qamsari, deputy director for international affairs of the Iranian National Oil Company was modest about the exchange’s initial capabilities, saying, "The commodity stock exchange has been pursuing a mechanism for offering crude oil on the stock exchange for a long time, and it has taken the preliminary steps, to the extent possible. Considering the existing banking problems, foreign customers are not expected to be taking part in the first phase of offering crude oil on the stock exchange, and this will be done on a trial basis. Today Bahregan heavy, high quality, low sulfur crude oil with less sourness will be offered on the stock exchange for the first time. In the first phase, a 600,000 barrel shipment will be offered."

Ashkenazi Jews are Turkic Khazars

AhavaYah on Jan 26, 2009 - Khazars were originally Turkic peoples. Related to the people in Turkey, Uzbekistan, Iran, Iraq, and other parts of the Middle East. Ashkenazi Jews boast of having the DNA haplogroup of some Arabs. What they fail to realize thats because some Arabs especially the ones in Iraq have Turkic admixture.We must not forget the Ottomon Turks ruled the so called Middle East and mixed their genes with the Arabs and Iranian peoples. To prove Khazars are genetic descendents of the Israelites without a doubt old Israelite fossils would have to be dug. Sephardic Jews are primarily descendents of groups of people that lived in Palestine/Israel and the Middle East. They to may be a mixture of many different peoples, for example Berbers, Arabs, Turks, Iranians, and ancient tribes that lived in Israel/Palestine.However, the Ashkenazi Turkic Khazar Jews found Sephardim that are mixed with Turkic peoples to run DNA test. To falsify the claim of them being descendents of the ancient Israelites.

I am not saying Ashkenazim Turkic Khazars aren't Jews, but what I am saying they aren't the physical descendents of the ancient Israelite tribes as they taught the world. Being a Jews = one that has the covenant of Avraham, Yitzaq, Yacov. Ashkenazi Turkic Khazar Jews are spiritual descendents of the ancient Israelites...They ought to stop teaching they are the physical descendents because history can not prove they are.

Lawyer: Assault on Anwar's guard 'attempted murder'.

Jul 20, 2011 - The lawyer for Fayyahd Afiq Albakqry, a member of opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim's security detail who was injured while protecting his principal, says they view the action of the police as "causing bodily harm" and "attempted murder", as prescribed under criminal law.

The bodyguard's lawyer, N Surendran, who is also a PKR vice-president, said this when met by reporters in front of the Dang Wangi police district headquarters this afternoon after Fayyahd lodged a report over the police assault which resulted in his injuries.

"During the Hindraf rally, only one person threw a rock at police and yet 30 people were charged with attempted murder," reminded Surendren, saying that a similar charge must now stick upon police personnel who fired tear gas canisters directly into the crowd.

Fellow counsel R Sivarasa added that the police had committed three violations of accepted law enforcement conduct during the assault.

The cost of war in Afghanistan

Jul 17, 2011 - Al Jazeera explores the financial and human costs of the war in Afghanistan, which have gone up every year over the past five years.

Malaysian Bar Council: Electoral Reform Protest Review.

malaysiakini on Jul 12, 2011 - Presenting the observation report compiled from some 100 observers deployed during the rally, Bar Council president Lim Chee Wee said police had used indiscriminate and excessive tear gas and water cannons against peaceful protesters.